Expanded-metal product.



H. E. WHITE.

EXPANDED METAL PRODUCT. APPLICATION FILED SEPT-4,1913.

1,268,903. Patented June 11, 1918.

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Qbtomxmgl specification.

" UNITED STATES ME E @FFME.

HERBERT E. WHITE, 0E vouues'rown, onro, assreivon TO THE GENERAL FIREPROOF- me COMPANY, or YOUNGSTOWN, onro, A CORPORATION 0E onro.

ExrANnEn-M TAL rnonocr.

Youngstown, in the county of Mahoningf and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Expanded- Metal Products, of which the following is a This invention relates to a novel and useful form of ribbed expanded metal product possessing utility as a supporting and reinforcing element for cementiti'ous material in building structures, particularly in the construction .of partitions,"floors and roofs.

To this end, the invention has in view an expanded metal ribbed structure having maximum strength and stiifness while at the same time providing effective keys for'the cementitious material and also capable of being manufactured readily and economically. i

A special object of the invention is to provide an open-mesh expanded section, be-

tweenthe ribs or uncut areas of a metaI sheet, which is displaced 'or projected to one sideofithe original plane of the sheet and is in such form as to materially increase the general stiffness of the product as well as toiprovide forholding the concrete or other cementitious material in such a manner that the product will effectively support and reinforce the structure in which it is embodied. By reason of the ,characteristicsin dicated, the improved product is well adapt edfor use as a self-centering material.

With these and other objects in "V ew,

which will be apparent to those familiar.

T with expanded metal products of this character, the invention consists in the novel construction, combination, and arrangement ofparts hereinafter more fully descr bed,

illustrated and claimed.

Though susceptible of structural modifi cation in minor particulars, one practical embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a plan view of the new product, the view illustrating a section consist in of three ribs and two expanded areas;

T ig. 21s a longitudinal sectional view through one of the transversely arched expanded sections; the line of section lbeing indicated by the line 2-2 on Fig. 1;

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 11, 1918.

Application filed September 4, i913; Seria1No.'788,154.

. Fig. 3 is a cross sectional'view of the new product on the line 33 of Fig. 2;

Figwt is a similar view illustrating a modification wherein the ribs may project in the same direction from one side of the plane of the sheet as the archedexpanded sect ons.

Like references designate corresponding parts in the several figures of the drawings. In its preferable embodiment, the novel form of sheet metal expanded structure claimed herein includes a metal sheet having a plurality of deeply grooved ribs, designated by the numeral 1, and open-mesh expanded sections S between at least one pair of the ribs and projected to one side of the flat plane of the sheet. These ribs may be produced in any manner, such for instance as by the process disclosed in my formerPatent No. 1,056,871, dated March 25, 1913, and may be of any depth or height, and all of the ribs ofthe sheet may be of the same or different depths without afiecting the distinguishing features of the present invention. Also it may be understood that theribs R represent the non-contractible unslitted or uncut areas of the product, and it is between at least one pair of such areas, (usually between every pair), that the sheet is provided with an open-mesh laterallyprojecting expanded section S.

"Anovel and practical characteristic of the open mesh or reticulated section between any pair of uncut areas or ribs 1 is that of such section being laterally projected to one side of the flatplaneof the sheet and also being transversely arched or bowed between the areas or ribs with which it connects. The transversearching or bowing of the said expanded'section provides therein, that is at its concaved side, a longitudinalchannel 2 which. runs lengthwise thereof and is adapted to receive therein the body of cementitious material, thus disposing the same in such a manner, within and about the expanded sections S, and within and about the ribs or uncut areas 1, as to provide a very intimate and thoroughly bonded union between the expanded metal product and the said material. The product is therefore well adapted for self-centering and reinforcing purposes.

panded. sectionS is usuallyof an approximate V-shape, though-it will of course be understood that the precise shape of the arch or bow is not an essential feature.

However, each archedexpanded section is necting webs-3 at spacedpoints,asmay be.

plainly seen in Fig.2 of the=drawings, and

more-particularly inzFigs; 3 ands of the drawings. Also, it will be observed. that:

the strands sof the open meshes, including the uncut connecting webs 3, have their flat faces lying in substantially parallel planes and also substantially parallel to the original flat planeof themetalsheet, ,pro

ducinginclinedxwalls of a steppeddformaf tion: and thus providing aireticula'ted constructionthavinga maximum strength and stiffness-as well as forming, efiective keys for the concrete or: cement material- As already indicated, the product issue ceptible of structural modifications with out aifecting the invention, and'one of these modifications is suggestedrin Fig. e of'the drawings,- wherein the-ribs are'illustratedas all p 'ojectingifrom the plane-of the sheet in the same direction as -the pro-- jecting expanded sections 2..

V In order tocompensate forthenonecontractibility. of-theuncut areasoor ribs, it;-is necessary to elongate the metal in the in dividual strands at the time of displacing them from the slit or cut in the. sheet, thereby enablingthe operation of opening the slits toibeuniformly carried out without imposing ,undue strains on ithe strands at anypoint.

The improved. product described and claimed herein may be manufactured by any suitable means available or adaptable for'the purpose. A preferablemeans, however, is' to subject the metal sheet, whichmay be preliminarily formed with a series of ribs R, and flat intervening. areas, to" the combined slitting and Qdisplacing. action of the-dies of the machine disclosedflin my former PatentNo. 1,049,632,; dated? Jamiary 7,- 1913; This machine subjects the metal sheet to an. operation which cutsa central line of interrupted longitudinal slits win the said flat areas, and which is succeededv by other lines of L interrupted longitudinal slits Ii -b, 0- 0, ial, et cetera, arranged alternately in adjacent lines and simultaneously made on fboth sides of the, central-line of slits. Simul taneously with the progressive cutting of the slits on-bothsides' of, and away from, said central line of slits, the strands of metal formed of the slits are displaced or offset to oneside of the original flat planeof the sheet with the result of opening up theslits into meshes and at the same time pressing the material thus expanded into the form of a laterally projecting arch as shown'in Figs. 3 and 4:. This combined slitting and expanding operation elongates the metal in the individual strands for the reasons stated. Y i i Iclaimt- 1. An. expanded metal. structure compris inga plurality of uncut areas ofopen-work expanded sections of trough-like form "lying betweentandprojecting to th'e side offthe unout areas,:the walls offeaehi expanded section being of stepped formation andincli'neddn' opposite directions with each inclined wall integrally united at its edgewith one ofv the A uncut areas. 1 .i y i .7

2. An :expanded. metal structure eomprlsrmg a pluralltyof uncut areas and openwork expanded sections. of trough-like form lying between and. proj ecting to theside 'of the uncut areas, the opposite walls of, each; expanded section 1 being. inclined in, opposite directionsand each of said walls comprising open meshes of substantially,- diamond shape,

whose strands are stretched iandzaredisposedi in planes substantially parallel to each other, andto theiflat-plane ofthesheet 3. An; expanded-metal structure; including a plurality ofspaced ribs, and'an intermedi ate V-shaped expanded section betweenat least a-pair ofg'the ribs, the-saidexpanded, section consisting, of 1 connected convergent walls each o-fwhich walls comprises open; meshes. of substantially,rdiamondj shape Whose strands are arranged in stepped .formation and. are disposed in 1pjlanes substan tially parallel to eachother. andto theflat plane-iof thesheet. i

An expan'ded metal structure ingll d ing a pjairof spaced uncutvportipns, and an intermediatetro-ughed expanded sectioniprojecting'froin-the edges of said uncut portions to, one 1 side of thegyflalt plane of, the sheet, said expandedsection consisting of opposite integrallyjeonnected wall portions formed with substantially diamondshaped meshes.

y 5; An expanded metal product including a pair of spaced. uncut p'ortionah l fil; a

troughed exp anded section: integrally united With andconnecting the uncut portions, the said expanded section-'betweenq the pairof uncut portions consisting. of oppositely disposed connected walls, .each of which walls comprises open meshesofsubstantially, dia- H mond shapelwhose strands are stretchedfand extend longitudinally; offthe structurell v y n: xpa d d e e s t r was:

'ing a plurality of uncut areas connected by expanded open-work sections of trough-like form, the opposite sides of the trough-like expanded sections being inclined in different directions.

7. An expanded metal structure comprising a plurality of uncut areas and openwork expanded sections of trough-like form lying between the uncut areas, the walls of the expanded sections being inclined in opposite directions with each inclined wall integrally united at its edge with one of the uncut areas.

8. An expanded metal structure consisting of a plurality of spaced ribs, and an intermediate V-shaped expanded section between at least a pair of the ribs, the said expanded section consisting of open-mesh wall portions connected together at the apex of the trough and converging from their point of connection with the ribs.

9. An expanded metal structure consisting of a plurality of spaced ribs, and an intermediate V-shaped expanded section lying in trough-like formation between at least a pair of the ribs, the said expanded section consisting of wall-portions connected together at the apex of the trough and converging from their point of union with the ribs, said wall portions having open meshes whose strands areof stretched metal.

10. An expanded metal structure consisting of a plurality of spaced high ribs, and an intermediate expanded section lying in trough-like formation between and integrally united with at least a pair of the ribs, the said trough-like expanded section consisting of integrally connected inclined wall portions having stretched metal strands.

In testimony whereof I hereunto afiix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

HERBERT E. WHITE.

Witnesses:

G. R. NAUMAN, H. R. GLENN.

Copies of this patent maybe obtained for five cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner of Eatents, Washington, I). G." 

